VOL. CLXVIII .... No. 58,425 © 2019 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2019 U(D54G1D)y+%![!$!=!; ADAM DEAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES An accident in Thailand, which has the most motorcycle deaths per capita in the world. The poor are especially in danger. Page A4. A Love of Speed and a Lack of Law Enforcement White House officials have be- gun preparing options to help bol- ster the American economy and prevent it from falling into a reces- sion, including mulling a potential payroll tax cut and a possible re- versal of some of President Trump’s tariffs, according to peo- ple familiar with the discussions. Mr. Trump continues to insist the economy is “doing tremen- dously well,” and he and his advis- ers publicly dismiss any notion of an impending recession. But be- hind the scenes, Mr. Trump’s eco- nomic team is pulling together contingency plans in the event the economy weakens further. Officials inside the administra- tion have drafted a white paper exploring a payroll tax reduction, which would seek to boost the economy by immediately inject- ing more money into workers’ paychecks. In 2011 and 2012, the Obama administration employed a two-year payroll tax cut in an ef- fort to stimulate what was a slug- gish recovery from the recession that ended in 2009. The payroll tax discussion was first reported Monday by The Washington Post. Such a cut would require con- gressional approval. Administra- tion officials said the idea had not been pushed with Mr. Trump and tried to tamp talk of it down. A White House official said more tax cuts were on the table, “but cutting payroll taxes is not something that is under consider- ation at this time.” Another senior administration official cautioned that a payroll tax cut was not un- der serious consideration. It is also unlikely that Mr. Trump would abruptly reverse course on the tariffs he has im- posed on Chinese goods, which he has said repeatedly are hurting China but not affecting American consumers. Still, the fact that the White House is even discussing ways to stimulate an economy that Mr. Trump on Monday called “very strong” underscores a growing concern in the administration about slowing economic growth. The United States is in its longest economic expansion on record, but economists are increasingly warning that a recession looms. Stocks churned last week after the bond market flashed a warn- ing signal that has historically presaged a recession. The manu- facturing sector has fallen into a recession on its own amid a global growth slowdown that many economists attribute in part to Mr. Trump’s trade war with China. Cutting payroll taxes would be an attempt to further strengthen AT WHITE HOUSE, RUSHING TO FIND RECESSION SHIELD PAYROLL TAX CUT EYED Concerns Growing Over Signs the Economy Is Slowing Down This article is by Maggie Ha- berman, Jim Tankersley and Annie Karni. Continued on Page A13 WASHINGTON — Five months after American-backed forces ousted the Islamic State from its last shard of territory in Syria, the terrorist group is gath- ering new strength, conducting guerrilla attacks across Iraq and Syria, retooling its financial net- works and targeting new recruits at an allied-run tent camp, Ameri- can and Iraqi military and intelli- gence officers said. Though President Trump hailed a total defeat of the Islamic State this year, defense officials in the region see things differently, acknowledging that what remains of the terrorist group is here to stay. A recent inspector general’s re- port warned that a drawdown this year from 2,000 American forces in Syria to less than half of that, or- dered by Mr. Trump, has meant that the American military has had to cut back support for Syrian partner forces fighting ISIS. For now, American and international forces can only try to ensure that ISIS remains contained and away from urban areas. Although there is little concern that the Islamic State will reclaim its former physical territory, a ca- liphate that was once the size of Britain and controlled the lives of up to 12 million people, the terror- ist group has still mobilized as many as 18,000 remaining fight- ers in Iraq and Syria. These sleeper cells and strike teams have carried out sniper attacks, ambushes, kidnappings and as- sassinations against security forces and community leaders. The Islamic State can still tap a large war chest of as much as $400 million, which has been hidden in either Iraq and Syria or smuggled into neighboring countries for safekeeping. It is also believed to have invested in businesses, in- cluding fish farming, car dealing and cannabis growing. And ISIS uses extortion to finance clandes- tine operations: Farmers in north- ern Iraq who refuse to pay have had their crops burned to the ground. Over the past several months, ISIS has made inroads into a sprawling tent camp in northeast Syria, and there is no ready plan to deal with the 70,000 people there, including thousands of family members of ISIS fighters. Ameri- can intelligence officials say the Al Hol camp, managed by Syrian Kurdish allies with little aid or se- curity, is evolving into a hotbed of ISIS ideology and a huge breeding ground for future terrorists. The American-backed Syrian Kurdish force also holds more than 10,000 ISIS fighters, including 2,000 for- eigners, in separate makeshift prisons. At Al Hol, the Syrian Kurds’ “in- ability to provide more than ‘min- imal security’ at the camp has al- lowed the ‘uncontested conditions to spread of ISIS ideology’ there,” After ‘Defeat,’ ISIS Rekindles In Middle East Killing and Recruiting as U.S. Draws Down This article is by Eric Schmitt, Alissa J. Rubin and Thomas Gib- bons-Neff. Continued on Page A5 Planned Parenthood said Mon- day that it would withdraw from the federal family planning pro- gram that provides birth control and other health services to poor women rather than comply with a new Trump administration rule that forbids referrals to doctors who can perform abortions. Planned Parenthood receives about $60 million annually through the federal program, known as Title X. The funds have enabled the group to provide more than 1.5 million low-income wom- en each year with services like birth control and pregnancy tests, as well as screenings for sexually transmitted diseases and breast and cervical cancer. In some rural communities, Planned Parent- hood is the only provider of such services. In states like Utah, where Planned Parenthood is the only organization receiving Title X funds, and Minnesota, where Planned Parenthood serves 90 percent of the Title X patients, those seeking care may face long waits for appointments, the group said, while other patients may de- lay care or go without. Over all, Planned Parenthood gets more Ti- tle X money than any single group, and it serves 40 percent of all Title X patients. The group’s decision to stop ac- Planned Parenthood Opts Out Over Trump Rule By PAM BELLUCK Loss of $60 Million for Low-Income Women Continued on Page A14 SAN FRANCISCO — China has adopted Russia’s playbook for spreading disinformation on Facebook and Twitter, deploying those tactics in its increasingly heated information war over the protests that have convulsed Hong Kong. In recent weeks, Facebook and Twitter accounts that originated in China acted in a coordinated fashion to amplify messages and images that portrayed Hong Kong’s protesters as violent and extreme, the two social media companies said on Monday. On Facebook, one recent post from a China-linked account likened the protesters to ISIS fighters. And a Twitter message said, “We don’t want you radical people in Hong Kong. Just get out of here!” Facebook and Twitter said they had now removed the accounts, the first time that the social media companies have had to take down accounts linked to disinformation in China. Facebook said it eliminated sev- en pages, three Facebook Groups and five accounts involved in the disinformation campaign about Hong Kong protesters. Twitter de- leted 936 accounts and said it would ban state-backed media from promoting tweets after China Daily and other state- backed publications placed ads on Social Media: China’s Disinformation Bullhorn By KATE CONGER Posts Claim West Backs Hong Kong Protesters Continued on Page A6 The New York City police offi- cer whose chokehold led to Eric Garner’s death in 2014 was fired from the Police Department and stripped of his pension benefits on Monday, ending a bitter battle that had cast a shadow over the na- tion’s largest police force. Commissioner James P. O’Neill’s decision to dismiss the officer, Daniel Pantaleo, came five years after Mr. Garner’s dying words — “I can’t breathe” — helped to galvanize the Black Lives Matter protests that led to changes in policing practices in New York and around the country. Officer Pantaleo had held on to his job as the Staten Island district attorney and the Justice Depart- ment declined to charge him with a crime in the face of calls by the Garner family and their support- ers that the city punish him and other officers involved. Commissioner O’Neill dis- missed Officer Pantaleo just over two weeks after a police adminis- trative judge had found him guilty of violating a department ban on chokeholds. The commissioner gave an emotional explanation laced with sympathy not just for Mr. Garner, but for Officer Pantaleo, and said he had agonized over the decision. He said he might have made simi- lar mistakes if he had been in Mr. Pantaleo’s place, and noted that Mr. Garner should not have re- sisted arrest when he was stopped and accused of selling untaxed cigarettes. Still, the commissioner said, Of- ficer Pantaleo had failed to relax a grip on Mr. Garner’s neck after he tackled him to the ground, and his recklessness triggered a fatal asthma attack. “The unintended consequence N.Y.P.D. Fires Officer in 2014 Chokehold Case By ASHLEY SOUTHALL Fallout From Garner’s Death Cast a Shadow on Police Relations Commissioner James P. O’Neill said Monday that the firing had been a tough and overdue decision. DAVE SANDERS FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES Continued on Page A18 Nearly 200 chief executives, in- cluding the leaders of Apple, Pepsi and Walmart, tried on Monday to redefine the role of business in so- ciety — and how companies are perceived by an increasingly skeptical public. The Business Roundtable is- sued a statement on “the purpose of a corporation.” Breaking with decades of long-held corporate or- thodoxy, the group said busi- nesses should no longer advance only the interests of shareholders. Instead, companies must also in- vest in their employees, protect the environment and deal fairly and ethically with their suppliers. “While each of our individual companies serves its own corpo- rate purpose, we share a funda- mental commitment to all of our stakeholders,” the group, a lobby- ing organization that represents many of America’s largest compa- nies, said in a statement. “We commit to deliver value to all of them, for the future success of our companies, our communities and our country.” The shift comes at a moment of increasing distress in corporate America, as big companies face mounting global discontent over income inequality, harmful prod- ucts and poor working conditions. On the campaign trail for the Democratic presidential nomina- tion, Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren have been vocal about the role of big business in perpetuating problems with eco- nomic mobility and climate Feeling Heat, C.E.O.s Pledge New Priorities By DAVID GELLES and DAVID YAFFE-BELLANY Continued on Page A15 Newark residents say the water crisis gripping the city began long before officials took action last week. PAGE A17 NEW YORK A17-19 Lead Contamination Fears As fake and illegitimate texts prolifer- ate online, classic books like “1984” get clumsy rewrites. PAGE B1 BUSINESS B1-7 Orwell Didn’t Write That Kentucky coal miners, owed back pay and lined up with other creditors for a piece of a bankrupt company, have blocked a rail track for weeks. PAGE A10 NATIONAL A10-16 ‘No Pay. We Stay.’ Stephen Curry, the sharpshooting War- riors guard, will help fund Division I golf at Howard University, expanding oppor- tunities for black students. PAGE B8 SPORTSTUESDAY B8-10 N.B.A. Star Extends His Range Two days before his suicide, Jeffrey Epstein signed a will and put his fortune in a hastily arranged trust. PAGE A18 Epstein Was Prepared for Death The president’s resolve to push back- ground checks seems to fade after talks with gun rights advocates. PAGE A13 Trump Retreats on Guns Rights groups in El Salvador say a strict abortion ban there has led to overzealous prosecution. PAGE A9 INTERNATIONAL A4-9 Acquittal in Stillbirth Case On television shows like “Queer Eye,” makeovers, shopping and redecorating are presented as deeply meaningful, even political, activities. PAGE C1 ARTS C1-8 The New Ethos of Self-Care Michelle Goldberg PAGE A22 EDITORIAL, OP-ED A22-23 About 8,000 years ago, artists who lived near the Danube carved strange stone heads, right, leaving hints for archaeologists about human migration and the merger of two cultures. PAGE D1 SCIENCE TIMES D1-6 Puzzles Etched In Stone Faces A San Antonio program with intensive coaching offers a rare success story in producing lasting wage gains. PAGE B1 A Jobs Program That Works Late Edition Today, humid, partly sunny, high 89. Tonight, evening showers or storms, partly cloudy, low 75. To- morrow, clouds and sunshine, high 87. Weather map is on Page A20. $3.00